Loose leaf ring binder



Aug. 23, 1955 G. A. LUCCHES] 2,715,906

LOOSE LEAF RING BINDER 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11, 1953 INVENTOR. GENE /Z 1 #6634557 UMLL.

LOOSE LEAF RING BINDER Filed Feb. 11, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 42 f [4 5/ I l x INVENTOR.

United States Patent 6 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in loose leaf binders of the split ring type, involving a pair of elongated sheet metal plate members haing arcuate interengaging loose leaf binder fingers or semicircular prongs secured at one end on the sides of the plates with their free ends formed for interengagement when the plates are swung toward each other to retain loose leaf sheets thereon, an object of the invention being the construction of a strong, simple, light weight, and inexpensive loose leaf binder device, primarily adaptable for use by aircraft pilots, navigators and similar aircraft personnel.

Another object of the invention being the provision of a combined binder and cover in which a hinge pin is provided for the plates of the binder and retains the cover in place over the binder and the loose leaf sheet retained therein.

Another object is the provision of a binder in which the plates can be stamped out of thin sheet metal and provided with camming and interlocking engaging means formed at their opposite ends for automatically locking the plates in side by side relation, and semicircular binder ring fingers fixed on the outsides of the plates with interengaging means at their free ends for retaining the ends of the rings against spreading when the plates are in said side by side relation.

Another object is the provision of hinge members formed on the side plates for the reception of the hinge pin therethrough, said hinge members having cut away portions, so that a flat one-piece cover can be employed, punched at spaced points along its mid axis to provide spaced loops for insertion in the cut away portions of the hinge members of one of the plates, and in which the hinges provide for longitudinal movement of one plate relative to the other to displace the locking means and allow swinging of the plates away from each other to separate the ends of the rings for the insertion or removal of the loose leaf sheets.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a rebent or inturned portion formed on the opposite end of each hinged plate for overlapping the other plate when in side by side loose leaf retaining relation, said rebent portions each having a camming edge extending toward the hinge axis and the outer end of the plate for camming engagement with the end of the other plate to shift the plates longitudinally to each other as the plates are swung from the open position toward each other to a closed loose leaf retaining position, and including resilient means between the plates for tensioning the plates to move the same longitudinally in the opposite directions to dispose inturned edge of each plate over the opposite end of the other plate upon disengagement of said camming edges with the ends of the plates.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which a CE like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

Drawings Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of my improved loose leaf binder device, showing the same in closed and locked relation.

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view, but showing the same in open, or loose leaf receiving position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view, on a smaller scale, showing the binder device and cover with the binder rings or fingers closed.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view more clearly showing the sheet metal stamped details of the plates, and the hinge and hinge pin arrangement and its cooperation with the cover, the plates being shown in open or separated relation.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, clearly showing the interengaging ends of the several binder ring or finger elements.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrating one form of interengaging ends of the binder rings.

S ecification In the drawings the reference numeral 1 denotes the loose leaf binder device generally, which comprises a cover 2 and the hinged binder device 3.

The loose leaf metallic binder device 3 comprises a pair of sheet metal plates 4 and 5 each plate stamped from a thin sheet material to provide a hinge portion at one edge and reinforcing flanges 4a and 5a on the outer edges of the respective plates 4 and 5.

Projecting about midway, from the outer sides of the plates 4 and 5, are a plurality of semicircular binding ring members 4b and 5b, riveted or otherwise secured one end to the plates as indicated at 40 and 5c, the outer ends of the rings are formed with interengaging extremities 4d and 5d, one form being shown in detail in Fig. 6.

The opposite end of each of the plates 4 and 5 are flanged laterally and then bent back parallel to the plate surface to form inturned end 4] and 5] with the inturned edges inclining upwardly toward the hinge portion as shown to provide camming edges 6, to dispose the wider portion of the inturned flanges 4 and 5;.

The plate 4 is arranged to be non-slidable relative to the cover. The plate is notched to provide the extensions or straps 7 and 8 and are rolled to provide hinge elements for receiving a hinge pin or pintle or pin 9 therethrough, the spaces 10 being provided to accommodate looped portions 11 formed from the cover 2.

The other plate 5 is also notched with the projecting tongues rolled to provide the hinge members 12 and 13 at the ends and the narrower hinge center hinge element 14 through which the pin 9 also passes. A coil spring 15 is interposed on the pin 9 between the hinge elements 7 and 14, resiliently urging the plates 5 in the direction of the arrow 16 so that the ends of the plates are in alignment, as shown in Fig. 4, or so that the inturned flanged ends 4 and 5 are retained over the ends of the respective opposite plates 5 and 4.

The cover 2, as seen in Fig. 3, is a stifi, preferably flexible, fabric, plastic or leather rectangular sheet having an appreciable channel or groove formed therein across its central portion at 17 to ailow the center portion to bend or fold and permit the ends or front and back portions 19 and 20 to lie against the loose leaf pages, or maps, secured on the rings b-Sb.

In providing the cover loops 11 for retaining the cover on the pin 9, and in non-slidable relation to the plate 4, the center of the channel 19 is punched or slit laterally a short distance at two sets of spaced points as at 21 and the portions between the pairs of slits 21 are bent or pushed than said pintle receiving hinge members to permit said limited relative longitudinal shifting movement between the plates, and includes a pintle or hinge pin extending through the hinge members and across said notches, said spring means comprising a compression coil spring surrounding the pintle and disposed in one of the notches between the side of the notch and the adjacent side of the hinge member in said notch, said interengaging locking means formed from extensions opposite ends of said plates one end portion of each plate being rebent on itself to provide an inturned locking abutment disposed to engage the adjacent end of the other plate, when the plates are hinged together and in side by side relation, for retaining the plates in the locking engagement with each other at their opposite ends by force of said coil spring means, said rebent portions each having a camrning edge for engagement with the end of the other plate to shift the same longitudinally against the tension of the spring when said plates are moved into side by side relation.

5. A loose leaf binder device as claimed in claim 4, in which at least two of said notched portions of one of the binder plates, when the plates are assembled on the hinge pin, being wider than the maximum distance of the relative movement between the plates plus the width of the hinge member therein to permit longitudinal movement to disengage the inturned locking edges of the plates from each other, and a binder cover member disposed to receive the binder device therein substantially midway between its opposite edges, said cover having a flexible center portion to permit the sides of the cover to fold at opposite side of the binder device, said cover having its central portion slit transversely at two longitudinally spaced portions to provide at least two spaced loop portions formed in the flexible center portion, disposed to be received in the last mentioned notched portions of the said one of the plates and retained on the said pintle member, to retain the binder in place in the cover and prevent relative longitudinal movement of the last mentioned plate in the cover.

6. In a reinforced sheet metal loose leaf binder device, a pair of binder plates hinged together along their longitudinal edges to lie in spaced parallel relation to each other, said plates having their outer longitudinal edges flanged laterally toward each other to lie in juxtaposed overlapping relation, one end of one plate and the opposite end of the other plate being bent laterally and then rebent laterally again to form a locking flange disposed parallel to the plate to overlie the outer surface of the other plate, said locking flanges each tapering inwardly from the outer edge of the reinforcing flange to the laterally bent end flange at a point intermediate the longitudinal reinforcing flange and the hinge connection to provide a camming edge for engagement with the end of the other plate, for shifting the plates longitudinally of each other as they are swung toward each other to permit the locking flange at the end of each plate to slide over the end of the other plate, said hinged connection between the plates being arranged to permit said longitudinal movement incident to said closing, and spring means between said plates resiliently resisting said longitudinal movement, complemental binder rings projecting from the outer sides of said plates curving toward each other outwardly of the free edges of said plates and having interengaging overlapping ends disposed to engage each other when the plates are locked in said parallel side by side relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 857,377 Baker June 18, 1907 2,273,746 White Feb. 17, 1942 2,311,620 Murphy Feb. 16, 1943 2,331,461 Dawson et al Oct. 12, 1943 2,548,618 Purvis Apr. 10, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 190,738 Switzerland 1937 

